No one said openin' a brewery was gonna be easy. But here in Sawdust City, we don't much care for easy. We've spent 18 months patiently perfecting our brews and honing our skills and now we feel it's time to bring our beer home and finally give Sawdust City the brewery it so richly deserves.
So keep an eye on this here blog over the up coming months, cause things are moving fast and the dust is really starting to fly!

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Thursday, 30 May 2013

Howdy y'all, it's Thursday, hope y'all been enjoyin' some of that there Lone Pine IPA now available on the shelves of the LCBO? It's been just about two weeks now and we're still tickled pink that y'all can just drive down the street and pick some up. We'd like to thank each and everyone of ya that picked one up, cause it might be a Lone Pine, but it takes a village....so to all y'all that bought one, or just helped us out along the way. Thank you very much! Anyhoo, like I said, we got some pretty cool news and I thought that maybe this would be as good a day as any to share that there pretty cool news with y'all. Now we've been workin' on this here cool news for quite some time now, but we we're waitin' till everything was down right confirmed before we let the cat outta the bag. But as of today, it's been confirmed that...check this...Sawdust City is goin' international! That's right folks, some of the Sawdust Crew (ie. Rob Engman and myself...Spinney and Bill are stayin' back at the homestead and makin' sure everything keeps on runnin' smooth) are gonna be goin' over to Norway to brew a beer with Norway's 2nd oldest brewery, Ardenals Bryggeri.

Founded in 1839 Arendals has been around the block, heck they done been makin' beer longer than Canada's been a country! Here's a little more info on their brewery (it maybe in Norwegian, so hit that there translate button to do some readin')

Now Norway and Gravenhurst may seem like an odd couple, but shoot if they don't have a long history together goin' all the way back to 1942 and World War II. You see, back then during the war, the Norwegian Air Force was trainin' over here, then in 1942 they done moved their training camp from Toronto all the way up to the Muskoka Air field near Gravenhurst.

Since then, Norway and Gravenhurst has shared a little bond, heck Gravenhurst even earned the nickname "Little Norway" & Norway's current King even came over here to unveil three new planes.

With that in mind, Sawdust City is headin' over to Norway to brew a beer with the good folks of Arendals and hopefully we'll do the folks of "Little Norway" proud! Now, the beer won't be ready until later this fall and most of it will stayin' on the other side of the pond with our new friends in Norway. It will be for sale in grocery stores and restaurants throughout the region. Even with most of the beer stayin' put, we're pretty excited about this opportunity and we've got our fingers crossed that we'll be able to get some of the beer back to Gravenhurst for a special release party later this year. Again, stay tuned to the blog for more details!

Sheesh, that was some pretty cool news eh? But dang if I don't gots even more! Ya see, June's a pretty busy month and we got a ton of events lined up throughout the month. Starting right on June 1st with the 2nd annual Brews'n'Bands festival in Hamilton, ON.

Hosted by the Casbah, Brews'n'bands is a celebration of indie music and awesome craft beer. This event is into it's second year and was one of our favourites from last summer. If your in the area, it's worth poppin' by the Casbah. Peep the poster for more info -

Now we don't mean to step on no toes, but we're gonna use the Brews'n'bands fest to launch one of our beers too! Golden Beach Pale Ale is back folks. That's right, our bold summer slammer is done and ready to drink. Loaded with mounds of delicious Galaxy and Mosaic hops, this IPA light is only 4.8% but shoot if it don't pack a tropical hop wallop! So if you needed another reason to attend this amazing fest, well dang, we just done gave you one. Peep the label if y'all don't remember it from last year

After that we're gonna be away for a few days trouncin' around the Norwegian coast brewin' beer with our new friends, but then we're back and right into the thick of it folks, cause startin' Sunday, June 15th, it's OCB Beer Week!

Our first event on the 15th isn't part of OCB Beer Week, but shoot if ain't a big one! It's the 20th Anniversay of the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce Antique Car Show and Sawdust City is one of the main sponsors. We're gonna be on hand all day, handin' out beer and cheerin' on them fancy ole timey cars. And this year, along with a beer garden and some amazing BBQ, there's gonna be live music too! Shoot if that don't just beat all! That's right, Country Music Star Terri Clark is gonna be performing a rare acoustic set, live on stage at Gull Lake Park!

Here peep the poster for more info -

Now if you happen to be in Muskoka on the 15th, I highly recommend that you come by Gull Lake park at check out this event cause it's gonna be big. But if you happen to be city folk and you find yerself locked down in that there concrete jungle, I got some good news for ya...there be a beer festival at The Stout Irish Pub on that very same day...and guess what? Sawdust City gonna be there too! Yep, we're double dippin' folks. We'll be up North at the Car Show and down South at the Back Alley Beer Festival!

This is the first year for The Stout Irish Pub's Back Alley Beer Festival and it's gonna be kickin' off all the festivities for OCB Beer Week. There ain't too many tickets, so snap'em up quick so as not to be disappointed. Peep the website for more info -

Now I done said we had a lot of events goin' on throughout June, but dang if we don't need a rest. So on June 16th, in honour of all y'all Dad's out there, we're gonna stay home, sit on our decks and enjoy some beer, food and good times with our families.

But then on the 17th, it's business as usual! We're right back at'er with a kinda-sorta-six-pack-tap-takeover at BarHop with our good friends at Spearhead. We're teaming up with our good friends to bring you 3 Spearhead beers and 3 Sawdust City beers at one of Toronto's finest beer establishments. So pop by and get yer fill of some fantastic beer and some amazing food. Heck, it's a Monday, what else you gonna do?

Tuesday, June 18th, we're gonna be takin' part in Beau's Bottle Royale at Get Well on Dundas. Hosted by Get Well and Beau's, they've invited a number of craft breweries to bring in the big boys...bottles that is! And Sawdust is gonna join in. There is gonna be some new bottles, some big bottles and some bottles you ain't seen in a while! Some come on out and get yer fill.

Wednesday, June 19th we're gonna tone it down a little and do a sit down dinner with our really good friends at Morgan's on the Danforth. The team at Morgan's is gonna put together a three course meal paired expertly with three Sawdust City beers. I'm gonna be on hand to answer and questions and chat with y'all, but honestly, I'm really goin' to eat some fantastic food! We'll be sendin' out some posters and gettin' some more information about this event as it gets closer to the date, so stay tuned. There's gonna be limited seating, so get yer tickets fast!

Thursday, June 20th we're back at it with our friends at Spearhead. We're gonna be doin' another kinda-sorta-six-pack-tap takeover, but this time on the west end of town at The Rhino. Again, we're super excited to be working with our good friends at Spearhead and to be goin' to another legendary beer bar like The Rhino.

Lastly, Saturday, June 22nd, it's the biggest event of the week...Session Toronto! Shoot, we done be waitin' all year for this. Every year this is one of our favourites, we always like to have fun and bring something special to Session, but this year we got something Super Special! That's right folks, if y'all remember way back to the beginning of May, we brewed a beer with our friend Fearless Fred of Edge 102. As part of this years Collaboration Nation at Session, we brewed a traditional French Saison aged on Raspberries. Fred lovingly named the beer Allison Breer in honour of the lovely Allison Brie and on June 22 y'all finally get to try it! Again, if you didn't already have a reason to come to Session, we just done gave you another. So get your tickets soon, cause they be goin' real quick like.

Well shoot, that was a whole bunch of big news...but heck, it's Thursday and y'all needed summpin' to get ya through til tomorrow! Thanks again for readin' and we'll see y'all again real soon.

Anyhoo, that's about it for now. Until next time, keep the beer in your mug and the sawdust beneath your feet.

Wednesday, 1 May 2013

Howdy y'all! So, April passed over like a sound. Dang thing moved so fast, I prit-near missed it! Luckily we done grabbed it by its hind legs and wrastled it to the ground. Good thing too, cause right there, just at the end, we done won some of these!

Yep, that's right folks, we took home three awards at this years OBA's, which was held last night at The Gladstone in downtown Toronto. Sheesh, if I done my maths right, that's 3 times gooder than last year. Well dang if we ain't just tickled pink by it too. 2 Silvers and a Bronze. Not too bad. Not too bad.

Our Skinny Dipping Stout took home a Silver in the Stout category and our brand spanking new Red Rocket Stout, well it done took home a bronze in the flavoured beer category. Lastly, our Skinny Dipping With Friends took home another silver in that same category.

Now here I am pickin' up some of that hardware.

Now that's one fine lookin' award and dang if that ain't one fine lookin' gentleman too!

But that's that as they say and now April is gone and we're onto May...and woowee we done gots a lot planned for this here May!

First up, we're gonna be on the radio with Fearless Fred this Friday. That's right folks, we're plum stoked that on May 3rd we're gonna be gabbin' with Fred aboot our fantastic collaboration beer, Allison Breer! A refreshing, Raspberry Saison, Allison Breer is a beer that Sawdust City brewed with Edge 102 host, Fearless Fred for the Session Beer Festival and on Friday we're gonna be on Fred's show to shoot the poop aboot it. So tune in to Fred's program from 2-7pm to hear some good ol'fashion beer talk.

Now if fer some crazy reason you ain't able to tune in on Friday from 2-7pm and you miss us, well don't y'all worry, cause we gots another event the very next week. Yep, on Tuesday, May 7th we'll be taking over 13 taps at one of Toronto's premier beer destinations, C'est What?

A Toronto landmark and probably every dudes dream basement, C'est What? has been pourin' pints fer a quarter century and on May 7th, we'll be goin' in and takin' over 13 of their 39 taps! So really it ain't a full on tap take over...it's more of a kinda sorta tap take over. If y'all want, pop by the Facebook event page and read about it

Now I ain't to savvy with this hear computer machine, so if y'all be so kind as too pass it along to all y'all friends...I'd be much obliged.

Now regarding this hear Kinda Sorta Tap Takeover, I done said we'll have 13 beers available, originally we was only gonna do 12, but then we done went for the full on bakers dozen! That's right folks, 10 draughts and 3 casks, it's gonna be a throw down hoe down! So bring yer boots and yer drinkin' arms cause it's gonna be a long night. Here's the list -

There ya have it folks, the full line up. A lot of these are just one-offs, so once they gone, they gone. You've read aboot'em, now comes out and drinks aboot'em!

And if that ain't enough Sawdust City fer ya, how's aboot you come and see us on Thursday too! Yep, on Thursday, May 9th we're gonna be pourin' a few beers at The North American Craft Beer Experience. What's the North American Craft Beer Experience you ask? Well take a look at this here webpage for more information -

Like the website says, this event's gonna be at The Berkeley Church in downtown Toronto. Now shoot, this is a great venue and dang if their ain't gonna be a lot of great beer there too. You see all them breweries listed? Woooweee, if that ain't one impressive list! So get yer tickets now cause they be goin' fast!

Now dang, that's a lot of events in just a few short days, so after that we're gonna take a break for a spell. Heck we might even leave the country. Heck we might even go to Norway. We'll have to see. I'll tell you more aboot that later.

But don't go worryin' yer little heads, we'll be back cause we gots a few more events planned for the end of the month. On May 23rd we're gonna be doin' some samplin' at Castro's Lounge, a great pub in Toronto's East End. So come on by and try a few and who know's we may just have summpin' new fer you to try....Summpin' new ya say? That's right, we've been doin' some more brewin' folks. We got two more beers in the hopper, our Spring/Summer seasonal "The Princess Wears Girlpants" and our easy drinkin' patio slammer, "Golden Beach Pale Ale".

The Princess Wears Girlpants is our take on a Belgian Golden Ale, and you know when I say "our take" that it ain't yer mamma's Belgian Golden. We done hopped this 9% abv ale to the hilt with delicious and aromatic Motueka and Galaxy hops. And we done fermented this one hot too! We stressed those little yeasties until they threw off some powerful stink! Shoot if you don't remember, here's the label from last year

Now if you can't make it out to Castro's on May 23rd, how's aboot you swing out to the West end and catch us at Lake Affect in Port Credit on May 24th. That's right, the very next day! We'll be pourin' and gabbin' aboot our beer to the good folks of Port Credit. And shoot, we may have summpin' new fer you to try that day too! The second of those two beers I done told you aboot, Golden Beach Pale Ale is our summer time favourite. Loaded with Galaxy, Sorachi and Mosaic hops, this refreshing pale ale is only 4.5% but it's done gone flavour to spare. Shoot, if you don't remember from last year, take a look at the label -

Now as some of y'all might be able to see, some of the informations I just done told you don't jive with the labels...well that's cause thems labels is from last year and we done made a few changes to the beers this year. They still be prit-near the same, we just tweaked'em a little.

So there's you have it, May's gonna be one busy month, but that's how we like it here in Sawdust City.

Anyhoo, that's aboot it for now. Until next time, keep the beer in your mug and the sawdust beneath your feet.